IT seemed Nathan had seen everything there was to know, as a prophet of Yahweh appointed to foretell tomorrow.
He was the lips which delivered Heaven’s verdict over the king’s sins of adultery and murder, twenty years before. And that verdict became the judgement of the fire and wind that troubled the throne.
Again, he was the lips which spoke of God’s mercy in the ready ears of the monarch, as the latter later repented.
For he was God’s mouthpiece for such times as then.
Indeed, the man had seen his prophecies come true. He’d seen two sons of David trouble the monarch and fall like soldiers in war.
He’d seen one child force his sister to bed, and die; then another force his way in with the king’s wives.
He’d seen the judgement come in the fire and wind. Then each time, he’d watched the mercy of God plunge deep down to spare the one He crowned king.
Nathan was so sure he’d seen everything. But this was a whole new story, a whole new day...
And it just seemed the opposite of what the Almighty had told him. It seemed quite different.
Earlier that morning, when the prophet was heading for worship at the outskirts of town, he passed a few groups of people talking and heading further down the vale.
The men were pretty loud, so much their murmurs caught the man’s attention.
‘All hail the Fourth One! All hail Adonijah!’ they blabbered.
‘He is worthy of the Marble Seat, you know! Who else among the princes can take on the crown, if not him?
‘Come on, today is for the Fourth Prince! We crown Adonijah!’
Truly, Adonijah’s coronation about which the people chatted, was masked in the guise of a holy sacrifice. Set to hold down the lanes by the spring of En Rogel.
But still it was an open secret, as that was what the Fourth One wanted.
He wanted everyone murmuring about this, then he wanted his enemies to scrabble for details.
‘After all,’ he’d boasted, ‘no one proclaims himself king in the confines of his chamber! But I’ll be King before anybody wakes!’
Now he was that keen and thorough in his double scheme. But Adonijah’s secret was still open enough for an enemy to hear.
Yes, the rumours of his plan did spread in the air everywhere the wind blew. Then the thuds of feet that moved for him were so loud that they woke his sleeping opponents.
Now, when Nathan heard the talks about it that morning, he couldn’t make full sense of all these things. They were too surprising to be happening then; therefore, he waved the talks like he never heard them.
And then, news flew by when he got home and sat outside. He stopped the running one, and asked what the rumours were…
And this was what Jona told him:
‘Sir, the Fourth Prince is making a great sacrifice, happening presently at the east valley side of En Rogel!
‘News has it that he’s invited all the sons of his father; then all the King’s ministers, along with many eminent people from the city.
‘In fact, Joab the commander of the army is there! And Abiathar my father is the high priest for the occasion.’
He tapped the old man. ‘Maybe you’re wondering why you didn’t hear a thing? I heard that you, sir, then Zadok the priest and Sir Benaiah were the only ones who weren’t invited.
‘And I think you three were left out on purpose. Why, you’re all for his rival, to speak the truth!
‘And come to think of it, sir: that rival of his—the chosen one of David, wasn’t invited too!’
He stopped in half a moment, then finished.
‘If you’re calculating it now, you’ll see what I also found, sir:
‘Adonijah isn’t doing sacrifice, no! He’s becoming King! And as I speak, he must’ve been crowned!
‘Permit me to run now, sir! I’ve got news with me!’
In that instant, old Nathan froze in shock. He knew what the thing meant, but he was too shocked to absorb it.
The talebearer picked off and flew like a lightning, while the old one rose and crashed the next moment.
But Nathan picked himself up again, then in a moment he was back with resolve. For after the old man had caught up on things, he decided he would get to the bottom of everything.
Yes, a new fire engulfed his spirit and a strange passion drove his body. He wouldn’t just sit still and watch things unfold; he wouldn’t wait and do nothing.
Right there, the elder found himself driving the wheels of time, but it only seemed so.
For the prophet was being driven by a hand mightier than time. A force mightier than he.
Now he picked himself and went inside. In the next moment he was out with a prophet’s rod.
He girded his waist and set forth towards palace. He must meet with the queen consort, the woman who bore the Heir, the Seventh Prince of David.
He must meet that woman called Bathsheba.
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